During my business career I often used a “flywheel” (a device specifically designed to store energy) as a metaphor to explain how we were going to make the company better. Always with a clear vision, employees were challenged to research and understand best practices and then create great ideas, build upon them and add more new ones, all the while making sure everyone was pushing in the same direction. This flywheel approach worked pretty much every time.
In his book “Leave No Doubt,” ex-Maple Leafs’ coach Mike Babcock talked about a similar “flywheel” approach. He called it a virtuous circle that never stops: “preparation drives execution ... execution leads to success ...success gets reinforcement ...reinforcement grows confidence ...confidence raises expectations ...expectations drive excellence ...and excellence drives greater preparation.”
I strongly believe that if Amherstburg is going to be one of the great small towns in Ontario it should adopt this virtuous circle approach. Our town has some good momentum right now that we can build upon. Even though we have some residents who prefer the status quo; importantly we have many more who want progressive change and wish to invest in a better future.
To realize this better future in Amherstburg, we will need all parties pushing on our flywheel together. Business owners, community groups, developers, residents and importantly our elected representatives all have to get behind the wheel.
However, this Japanese proverb has a message that we need to heed to be successful “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without a vision is a nightmare.”
In 2020, your Amherstburg Community Foundation is committed to doing its part to get the Amherstburg flywheel moving in a positive direction.
Attend our fourth “Thought Leaders” lecture on March 5, tickets are available at amherstburgfoundation.org. Come out and hear our new initiatives.
—Richard Peddie
President
Amherstburg Community Foundation